Police said Adrian R. Taylor was killed and his passenger, Special Tume, M. Davidson, 22, of Beloit was critically injured while fleeing from police in Beloit early Sunday morning when the vehicle ran a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle, according to a release.

Around 2 a.m. a Beloit police officer attempted to stop a vehicle on Fourth Street, just south of Portland Avenue, for speeding, police said. As the vehicle turned onto Roosevelt Avenue, it accelerated at a high rate of speed heading westbound.

Officials said the officer did not pursue because department policy did not warrant a pursuit based on the observed violation.

The vehicle continued westbound at a high rate of speed, did not stop at a stop sign at Roosevelt Avenue and Bluff Street, and hit another vehicle traveling northbound on Bluff Street, according to the release.

After the initial crash, the fleeing vehicle hit a utility pole, and the vehicle was cut in half, police said. Taylor and Davidson were ejected from the vehicle and were transported for critical injuries.

Taylor later died from his injuries, officials said. Davidson was critically injured and is being treated at a local hospital.

The two occupants of the other vehicle involved in the crash were not injured, but their vehicle was heavily damaged, according to the release.

Officials said the crash remains under investigation, but preliminary findings indicate that excessive speed and the violation of a traffic control sign were factors in the crash.

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